


Fight to Make Out

by iamthatmonster



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Demigods, Crossover, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-03
Updated: 2014-05-11
Packaged: 2018-01-18 01:43:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1410334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamthatmonster/pseuds/iamthatmonster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Camp Half Blood is a place where greek demigods - half man, half god offspring - go to train to become warriors. Gavin is a son of Apollo (the god of poetry, archery and knowledge) and Michael is a son of Ares (the god of war). They are constantly saying that they ‘hate’ each other, but they eventually realize just how much they can’t live without each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

He was older than Gavin thought he'd be.

There had been rumors going around Camp Half Blood that Jack, one of the satyrs, was going to be bringing in a new demigod that day. At first, Gavin hadn't thought anything of it, brushing the stories off as nothing more than wishful thinking. Campers would often get tired of the consistency of their routine, and dreaming of a change cured the boredom. Gavin used to do the very same thing.

But when Jack really had disappeared for several hours, Gavin couldn't help but wonder.

Now he stood outside the Apollo cabin, the place that had been his home since he was nine years old. Gavin was sixteen now, and as far as everyone else was concerned, he didn't have a past worth talking about. He was the only one that knew how far that was from the truth.

Planting his bow into the ground in front of him, Gavin used it as support to lean forwards, his eyes following Jack and the boy beside him. As he wasn't the only one staring, it felt oddly acceptable somehow. Not that Gavin would have cared anyways.

The boy looked to be about Gavin's age, albeit a bit shorter. His hair was brown and curly, and freckles were spattered across his face.

Then Jack was placing one hand on the boy's shoulder, making gestures towards the campers with the other. The two had stopped outside the Ares cabin, and from the way the boy shoved Jack away from him, Gavin guessed that was where he belonged. Jack threw his hands up in frustration before trotting away, and a bit of a smile tugged at the corners of Gavin's lips. He was no stranger to that kind of reaction.

Running a hand through his hair, the boy turned, his eyes scanning the crowds of people staring at him. He extended a middle finger to a few people, causing them to blush and turn away. Gavin scoffed, rolling his eyes at his confident behavior. That was how they all started. The true test was seeing who remained that way.

A second later, the boy's gaze focused directly on Gavin and he raised an eyebrow, beginning to stroll towards him. Gavin let a guttural groan escape his lips, dropping his head back in annoyance. Then the boy was standing in front of him, and Gavin decided to give in and meet his eyes.

"Michael," the boy said, extending a hand.

"Why me?" Gavin asked, completely ignoring the greeting.

"What?"

"Why me? Out of all the bloody people in this camp, why would you decide it would be a good idea to talk to me?"

Michael scoffed, shrugging his shoulders. He pulled his hand back, and the look on his face was that of pure irritation. "I don't fucking know," he snapped. "Maybe I liked how confident you looked. All these other fucks look nervous as hell. I can't stand people like that. You were the only one that didn't have that appearance. No need to be an ass about it."

Gavin raised his eyebrows, forcing a laugh. He was pissed at the confrontation, and it was obvious. However, he didn't comment on it, instead choosing to change the subject. "Ares, huh?"

"What the fuck of it?"

"Dunno, you're the one that wanted to talk to me. Just making friendly conversation." A cocky smirk crossed Gavin's face, and Michael set his jaw, his hands balling into fists by his sides. He took a step closer, drastically reducing the space between them.

"I wouldn't call that friendly," he grit out, and his face was slightly red due to his anger. Gavin chuckled a bit, taking a step closer himself. By this point, their faces were only a few inches apart, and neither of them looked like they were going to back down any time soon.

"Aww, is Michael getting angry?" Gavin purred, cocking an eyebrow and biting his lip mockingly. Michael's jaw dropped and his eyes widened.

"Shut up, you British fuck."

The confident look dropped from Gavin's face and was immediately replaced with frustration. For a few moments, the two only glared at each other, as neither of them was willing to be the first one to pull away. Then gentle hands were on Michael's shoulders, pulling him back. Angry glares were still plastered across both of their faces, and not a word was passed between them.

Ryan, another boy from the Ares cabin and the one that had pulled Michael away, leaned a bit closer to mutter a few words. They were quiet, but Gavin was still able to catch them. "Come on, you can deal with him later. No use getting into a fight on your first day."

Even though he still looked extremely pissed, Michael allowed himself to be led away. However, he glanced back at Gavin over his shoulder, extending a middle finger before focusing his gaze towards the Ares cabin once more.

Gavin stared after him with a cocky smirk on his face, scoffing and shaking his head before swinging his bow around his shoulder and turning his back, completely ignoring any other camper that tried to speak to him.

\---------------

As soon as he had entered the cabin, Michael was shouting. "What the fuck was that?" At the outburst, Ryan jumped, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Wh-"

"Who the hell does that fuck think he is?" Michael cut him off, his hands once more clenching into fists. "He's so fucking cocky and someone needs to fucking knock that goddamn grin off of his face." His voice was getting louder by the second, and Ryan simply allowed him to rant. "Who the fuck even was that anyways?"

"That was Gavin," Ryan replied simply.

"Is he always that much of a fucking cocksucker?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"I didn't even fucking do anything," Michael yelled in frustration. "I could have fucking done something, sure. But what the fuck? That son of a bitch just fucking shrugged me off. I was trying to be fucking friendly. Does he want me to be a fucking bastard?"

"Probably."

At his words, Michael relaxed slightly, furrowing his eyebrows and turning to the other in confusion. "Why?"

Ryan shrugged. "No one knows. He doesn't talk much, unless it's to insult you, and any time that he's ever fought someone, at least that I know of, he's won. He's just one of those people that you learn not to mess with."

"But you're a son of Ares," Michael exclaimed. "The goddamn motherfucking war god. And there's someone you won't confront?"

"I personally don't advocate being ignorant. You shouldn't start fights that you can't finish."

"I could have finished him," Michael muttered. Then his voice was rising again. "You should have let me clock that son of a bitch. I would have been able to handle it."

"Like I said," Ryan spoke slowly, as if he was trying to explain something to a small child. Michael breathed heavily through his nose at that, not liking the way it made him feel. The other boy ignored him. "It wouldn't be a good idea to-"

"To start a fight on my first day," Michael interrupted him. "Yeah, yeah. I know. But the second day is a completely different story."


	2. Chapter 2

"You know, you're lucky," Ryan said, leaning back on his bed and folding his hands behind his head.

Michael looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Okay, I'll bite," he replied. "I'm at some shitty ass camp that I didn't even want to come to in the fucking first place, and I've already met a total douche that I'm gonna punch square in the fucking face the next time I see him. How the fuck am I lucky?"

A smile crossed Ryan's face and he shook his head. "I didn't ask for your life story," he retorted. "You missed both chore sessions and the fucking Greek lessons. Like I said. You're lucky."

Not five minutes later, Michael sat at the Ares table, his eyes scanning the people surrounding him. He felt slightly out of place, but it wasn't anything more than he was used to.

Ryan had tried to make friendly conversation with him, and Michael figured that it was because he wanted to make him feel comfortable in a new environment. But it didn't help Michael in the slightest, and only served to make him feel even odder. He had finally requested that he stopped 'babying him', though Ryan insisted that wasn't what he was doing.

Poking the food on his plate with his fork, Michael watched as the rest of the campers burnt the best parts of their meal. Michael had already done so, though he didn't quite see the purpose of it. He had went this far without doing so, after all.

"Where the fuck can I get a drink?" Michael groaned, picking up the cup that was set in front of him. Ryan looked at him and smiled.

"Just - ask."

"Who?"

"The cup, more or less. It gives you whatever you want."

Michael knit his eyebrows together, then shrugged. He muttered something under his breath, but when he looked at the cup, it was still empty. He groaned, shoving his shoulder into Ryan's. "Fuck you, dude," he muttered. "It's my first day, and you're already fucking with me."

"I'm not fucking with you," Ryan said, a knowing smile on his face. "But it doesn't do alcohol."

"Damn it," Michael muttered under his breath, then he felt heat rush to his face. "I had to try."

\----------------

"Gavin, as usual, you will be the first competitor. Please make your way to the ring." A smirk made its way to Gavin's face as he stepped onto the platform, his eyes scanning the rest of the group. Michael knit his eyebrows together in frustration. His cockiness, though accepted by the rest of the campers, was really starting to piss Michael off.

Dinner had just ended, and they had moved on to competitions. Michael thought that it was odd that he was already being thrown into things, but he couldn't say that he cared.

"We're going to do things a little differently today," Chiron's voice rang out, and Gavin raised an eyebrow curiously, directing his attention towards him. Michael followed suit. "Instead of setting up the fight myself, I will be looking for volunteers." The entire group went quiet, and a confident grin made it's way across Gavin's face.

"I know that no one wants to fight Gavin," Chiron continued. "But if one of you does not volunteer, Gavin will be declared the winner and he will be allowed to relax while the rest of you do the chores that didn't get done earlier."

Groans exploded from the lips of all the campers, and Michael started to allow his eyes to wander. He stopped on each person, looking for anyone that seemed like they might step forwards. No one seemed to be to eager to jump forwards, and then Chiron was speaking up again. "Well?"

The silence was almost deafening, and when no one spoke up, Michael let a long, loud groan escape his lips. "I'll do it," he said, loud enough to be heard by everyone surrounding him. Gavin knit his eyebrows together, and that expression alone made it worth it to Michael. Then he was stepping up onto the platform. As soon as Gavin saw him, he laughed. Michael clenched his hands into fists, but he didn't say anything.

"Michael?" Gavin scoffed. "I know you were pissed earlier, but do you really want to make a fool of yourself in front of everyone? No offense, but there is no way that you would ever be able to beat me." He put special emphasis on the word ever, taking several steps closer as his words progressed.

The other boy grit his teeth, and his entire body tensed. Taking several steps closer himself, he moved so that he was only a few inches away from Gavin's face. "How the fuck could I take offense to that?" He growled sarcastically, his face now red with anger.

"I don't know, you tell me," Gavin purred, and it was obvious that he was greatly amused by the other boy's frustration. "You seem to take offense to everything else."

Michael practically hissed in frustration, his hands immediately making their way to Gavin's shoulders and pushing him backwards. However, Gavin stood firm, and he was hardly affected at all. A look of confusion washed over Michael's face, and Gavin chuckled once more. "Problem, love? You don't want to back out, do you?"

Almost immediately, Michael allowed his face to harden and he shook his head vigorously. "Back out of a fight with you?" He mocked. "Never. I'll beat your ass so fast you won't know what happened."

Scattered laughter came from the other campers, and Michael turned to glare at them. Despite the fact that no one thought he could beat Gavin, that seemed to shut them up. Then he turned back to Gavin, raising an eyebrow. "Well? We gonna get this shit started or what?"

Gavin shrugged, putting his hands on his hips. "Sure thing," he said smugly. "Though since you're the one challenging me, I thought maybe you'd want to make the first move."

He only considered it for a moment, before nodding sharply. He was running full speed towards Gavin a moment later. Shaking his head and making a disapproving noise with his tongue, Gavin easily sidestepped Michael's clunky steps, darting around behind him.

Whirling around, it was obvious by the look on Michael's face that he was unamused. "Fuck you," he muttered, narrowing his eyes so that they were practically slits.  
"Aww, is little Michael getting pissed again?" Gavin teased. Then he rolled his eyes. "This is why you can't beat me, Michael."

"Oh, I can beat you," Michael muttered, running towards him once more. This time, Gavin didn't move at all, just watched with a smug smile on his face as the boy ran towards him. When he was only a few inches away, Gavin struck, one of his legs sweeping Michael's out from under him, while he pushed back on his chest with his arm.

He allowed his own body to drop to the ground with the other boy, landing on top of him and straddling his hips. Michael cried out, arching his back in pain. "Fuck," he groaned, closing his eyes and throwing his head back. "That was my dick, you British fuck."

Gavin's hands were around his wrists a moment later, pinning them to the ground above his head. Michael struggled to free himself, his legs wrapping around Gavin's waist in a desperate attempt to flip them over. But the other boy was much too strong. Breathing heavily, he glared up at Gavin.

"That was too easy," Gavin mused, sighing exaggeratedly. "I was hoping you'd actually be a challenge to fight. I wasn't expecting it though."

Anger rose up inside of Michael once more and he struggled that much harder to free himself.

"Do you give up, Michael?" Gavin murmured, moving his face a bit closer to the the other boy's.

Michael's breath caught in his throat, but he shook his head, the anger overtaking any other emotion he might have been feeling. "I'll never surrender to you," he hissed, and then he was spitting directly in Gavin's face.

Closing his eyes tightly, Michael watched as Gavin tried to restrain his anger. However, he didn't have to control himself for too much longer, because a moment later, Chiron was calling out. "The winner, as expected, was Gavin. Gavin, please remove yourself from Michael and wait for when I call you next. Michael, you eliminated yourself for the night, but you are required to watch the rest of the competition."

As soon as the words had been spoken, Gavin was leaping to his feet, wiping at his face. His expression was that of pure irritation, and Michael sent him a smug smile. "You may have won the fight," Michael muttered as he passed him by. "But I think I got the last laugh."


	3. Chapter 3

Michael awoke the next morning to a pillow hitting his face. "Fuck," he groaned, stretching the word out for as long as he could and rolling onto his stomach. Burying his face in his own pillow, Michael tried to ignore the insistent smacks to his back. "Go away," he mumbled into the material, making a shooing motion with his hand. "It's too goddamn early for this shit."

A laugh reached Michael's ears a moment later, and he recognized it as Ryan's. "It's seven forty-five," the other boy chuckled, and Michael shrugged, still refusing to open his eyes.

"Yeah. It's also fucking summer."

"Breakfast is in fifteen minutes. I thought maybe you'd want some time to get your shit together before then." Ryan's tone was still extremely amused, and Michael rolled onto his back with a sigh.

Squinting up at the other boy, he tried to adjust to the sudden light. "What the fuck. Breakfast is at eight? Any fucking normal person doesn't get up until at least noon during the summer."

"Well, we're not exactly normal people, are we?"

Michael glared at Ryan until he began to squirm uncomfortably, and then he released a breath that he didn't know he had been holding. "I guess not," he grunted, forcing himself into a sitting position. "Though I thought I was up until like a fucking week ago."

Ryan looked at him, his expression a strange combination of entertained and apologetic. "Yeah, the transitional period can be rough," he said, throwing him a bundle of clothing. In his confusion, Michael didn't realize what was happening until it was too late and the wad hit him square in the face.

Grumbling a curse under his breath, Michael stared at the pile of shirts in his hands. "What the fuck is-"

"That's your uniform," Ryan cut him off. "I'm surprised you didn't notice yesterday. Everyone's got to wear them. Though if you're out of uniform every now and again they don't fucking kill you or anything."

The other boy let out an exasperated groan, holding up one of the tee shirts in front of his face. "Fucking hell. Are they trying to blind everyone with fucking neon?"

Stifling a laugh, Ryan managed to only smile. "You get used to it."

Michael crinkled up his nose, and he looked extremely frustrated. Then he was rolling his eyes. "Right, whatever."

\----------------------

Usually Gavin was fairly focused in the mornings. He would eat as quickly as possible, immediately moving on to more important things. That was part of why he was generally considered to be the best. Any and all free time that he could scrounge up was dedicated to training, and he was always managing to fit a few extra minutes in.

But for some reason, that morning was different.

He had woke up pissed, and that certainly wasn't making anything easier. He sat at the Apollo table, his best friend Ray rambling on about something that he couldn't bring himself to listen to.

Then there was a hand blocking his vision, waving from side to side. "Gavin, are you listening to me?" For the first time, Gavin was able to focus enough to hear Ray's words. However, that didn't change the fact that he was having trouble paying attention.

"What?" he asked absent-mindedly, his eyes narrowed in Michael's direction. The other boy was seated at his own table, his head resting in his hands. "Oh yeah. I was listening Ray. Please continue."

Ray's eyes darted from side to side, a confused look plastered across his face as he fixed his gaze on Gavin. He followed his glare, finally landing on Michael. "You weren't listening to me asshole," he laughed. "But you could at least stop staring at the new kid. It's kind of freaking me out."

"Look at him, Ray," Gavin managed through gritted teeth. "Fucking resting at breakfast. That's bullshit. He needs to get himself pulled together."

Laughing nervously, Ray put his attention back on Gavin. "You're not serious, right?"

"Why the fuck wouldn't I be?" Gavin muttered, his hands clenching into fists as he continued to glare.

"Maybe because he's only been here a night," Ray exclaimed. "Come on, I know you consider a lot of people here to be your enemies, but that's got to be a record time. Maybe you should give him a chance."

"Give him a chance?" Gavin asked, and he sounded shocked. For the first time, he averted his eyes from Michael to look directly at Ray. "W-Ray, he was right up in my face yesterday. Not to mention the fact that he challenged me during competitions."

"You beat the shit out of him," Ray said, an amused smile plastered across his face. "He's supposed to be pissed at you, not the other way around."

Gavin didn't respond for a long moment, shaking his head and moving his eyes to stare at the other boy once more. "It doesn't matter who won, Ray," he said, his eyebrows knitting together as he again refused to tear his eyes away. "It's the fact that he wasn't intimidated by me."

"So you're feeling threatened?"

Squaring his shoulders, Gavin turned to glare at Ray now. The other boy shrank back, but forced an awkward smile. Once more Gavin shook his head and pivoted to frown at Michael once more. "No," he snapped. "Not at all."

It was a lie.

\---------------------

According to Ryan, battle training was next on the day's agenda, and Michael was glad to hear it. Ever since he had fought Gavin the previous night, he couldn't think about anything but beating him.

Ryan insisted that no one in the camp would know enough to teach him how to beat the boy, but Michael could dream. And the execution of that dream had to start somewhere.

As the two boys took their place outside the Ares cabin, Michael took the time to look around. Campers were everywhere, having paired off into teams of two - a more experienced fighter with a person of less skill.

No one in particular caught his eye, at least not until his gaze stopped to rest on Gavin. The other boy was glaring at him, and Michael felt his own body tense in retaliation. His hands clenched into fists and he narrowed his eyes, despite the fact that they were yards apart.

A loud snapping in his ear pulled Michael's gaze away and he jumped as a result. Heat rushed to his face as he looked back to Ryan, who looked like he was trying to prevent himself from laughing. "Stop trying to front on Gavin from across the camp and focus on me," the other boy said quietly, and Michael felt his face grow even more red.

His eyes wandered back to Gavin for a brief second, who was now staring at him with a smug grin on his face. Michael grit his teeth and turned back to Ryan. "Alright," he managed to say. "Tell me what to do."

"First you're gonna want to learn how to block properly," Ryan said confidently. "So I'm gonna swing at you, right over your head, and you're going to put your sword up to block it." Michael hesitated, swallowing hard as he stared at the sword in Ryan's hands.

"What if I miss?"

"You won't miss," Ryan replied. "You're a son of Ares. You have fighting instincts."

"And if I do?"

Ryan shrugged. "Your helmet will protect you. There's a reason for the full body armor." Taking a deep breath, Michael nodded, letting one of his feet step back into something that somewhat resembled a stance.

"Alright then," he said. "Whenever you're ready."

Mere seconds later, Ryan was swinging hard, at what would have split Michael's body right down the middle. For a moment, Michael faltered, his mind going a million directions at once. Then he was aware of the sword bearing down on him, and he swung his sword up to meet the oncoming one.

Metal hit metal with a loud clink, and Michael tried his hardest to keep Ryan's sword from touching his head. Then his legs gave out, and he was on his knees a moment later. Ryan's sword hit the metal of his helmet hard, causing Michael's vision to spin and his ears to ring.

When he was finally able to speak, it was a curse. "Fuck," he groaned. "Wh-"

A voice from behind his back was cutting him off a moment later. "That was complete shit. Your stance was all wrong, your arms are weak, and you hesitated."

Michael jumped to his feet almost instantly, anger rising inside of him as he whirled around to see who had spoken. It didn't come as a surprise to him when the person was Gavin, staring at him with a cocky grin on his face.

"Fuck you," Michael hissed, and it took everything inside of him to stop himself from strolling forwards and punching the other boy square in the face. "What the fuck is your problem?"

"I don't have a bloody problem," Gavin retorted. "You're the one that has the problems." He paused for a moment before adding, "-I was talking about your fighting, just in case you're too stupid to comprehend that."

"I understood perfectly," Michael growled, and when he felt Ryan's hand around his wrist, he jerked his arm away. However, before he was able to do anything, there was another boy beside Gavin. He put his hands on his arm, beginning to push him away.

"Ray," he said, making eye contact with Michael. Michael guessed that was his name, though there was no way to tell for sure. He continued to push Gavin away, though the other boy had his fists balled in frustration.

Before he had made it away entirely, he caught Ryan's gaze, nodding at him with a slight smile on his face. Ryan returned the nod, and then Ray was turning away completely, dragging Gavin along behind him.

"Such a fucking asshole," Michael muttered, before turning back to Ryan. He was still angry, and Ryan cringed slightly as the boy continued to glower. "Now where were we?"


	4. Chapter 4

"Come on Gavin, at least hear me out," Ray groaned, throwing his head back in frustration. The two were in their cabin, seated across from each other on their beds. A few other campers wandered the room, but as there was nothing specific going on at the moment, the majority of the people were off doing whatever appealed to them.

Besides, being around Gavin when he was in one of his moods had been long ago determined to be a bad idea. Ray was the only exception to that theory.

"I don't want to listen to whatever you have to say about Michael," Gavin exclaimed, closing his eyes tightly and reaching to grasp at his hair. "I don't want to look at him, I don't want to think about him, and I sure as hell don't want to talk about him."

"You're awfully touchy for someone who isn't feeling threatened."

Gavin's eyes snapped open and he glared at Ray, anger obvious on his face. Squirming uncomfortably, Ray forced a smile, and Gavin sighed as his shoulders slumped. "I just don't want to talk about him, okay?"

"Tough shit. Sometimes we have to talk about stuff we don't fucking want to. And we're talking about Michael." The boy's tone was determined, and he almost cheered when Gavin gave a sharp nod.

"Fine," Gavin snapped, rolling his eyes. "Say whatever the hell you wanted to say. It won't help anything. But go ahead. You won't shut up about it until I let you talk anyways."

"You know me so well," Ray said with a laugh, and Gavin couldn't help but be the slightest bit pissed. He rolled his hands, prompting Ray to continue, and he compiled. "I know you don't like Michael," he began, knitting his eyebrows together. "I'm still trying to figure out why the fuck that is, but that's not the point I was trying to make. I just wanted to say that you should give him a chance."

Groaning loudly, Gavin closed his eyes once more. "You see? This is why I didn't want to have this conversation with you. It was pretty obvious what you were going to say. Ray, I already gave him a chance."

"Don't you try to pull that kind of shit on me. I'm not a fucking idiot. I was there when Michael came up to you. He was trying to be fucking friendly, and you blew him off. Quite honestly, I think he had a good reason to get up in your face."

"But Ray, you don't-"

"I don't understand? Is that what you were going to say? Because even though I may not understand exactly how you're feeling, I do know something else." He paused for a moment, giving the statement a minute to sink in, before resuming. "You block people out, Gavin. It's pretty fucking obvious that I'm your only friend. And why the fuck do you think that is?"

"Because everyone else is jealous that I'm better than them?" The words were supposed to come out as a statement, but the vocal inflections made it sound more like a question. Gavin cursed internally as his mistake, but he forced himself to listen when he heard Ray's voice once more.

"Fuck that. You know that shit isn't true. You don't have any friends because people don't like you. They try to be friends with you, and you fucking ignore them. You've already fucked your chances with everyone else here. Maybe Michael's your chance."

For a moment, the words hung in the air, and Gavin only glared at the ground. The only sound was that of quiet whispers from other kids that were deeply involved in their own conversations.

Then Gavin was pushing himself to his feet, his features tight as he strolled towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Ray called after him, and Gavin was pretty sure he heard the other boy sigh.

"I need some fresh air," he replied, his tone sharp. "Don't even think about fucking following me."

Gavin wasn't quite sure where he was going when he exited the cabin, sticking his hands into his pockets in a desperate to make them feel useful.

He just needed to be away from here.

\--------------

Michael had been training hard since the beginning of their free time, and Ryan was helping him. Even though he had personally always considered his fighting abilities to be natural, there was obviously always more to learn.

After almost an hour of strenuous work, Michael was practically ready to collapse. Ryan made his hands into fists, bringing them up and preparing himself for yet another attack. However, Michael called him off with a wave of his hand, leaning on his knees and panting for breath.

Ryan walked over to him, a slight smile on his face. He didn't even look phased by all they had just done, and Michael wondered what it would take to exhaust him.

Clapping a hand on Michael's shoulder, Ryan's smile only grew as Michael forced himself to straighten his back. "You alright there, Michael," he asked, amusement in his tone. He raised an eyebrow, and Michael swatted at his hand.

"Yeah," he said, placing his hands on his hips and dropping his head back. He took several deep breaths before continuing. "Yeah, I'm fine."

A chuckle escaped Ryan's lips as Michael finally managed to get himself breathing at an even pace. "Okay," the boy responded. "As long as you're not about to fucking die or something, then I want to say something.

Raising an eyebrow, Michael prompted him to continue. "Yeah, I'm fine. What the fuck is it?"

"You're going to think it's sappy and shit, and maybe it is, I don't know. But I just wanted to let you know that you're doing good. I know Gavin's been stressing you out, and I want to commend you for being able to focus despite that. And you're not as bad as he says you are. Gavin's just that good."

Michael's face lit up, and a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. Just as he was about to respond, a voice was once again coming from behind him and he closed his eyes in frustration.

Not again.

"I wouldn't say that's entirely true," came Gavin's cocky voice, and Michael whirled around, his hands immediately clenching into fists. "I mean sure, I'm good. There's no doubt about that. But you definitely are as bad as I say you are." Gavin cocked an eyebrow, and Michael couldn't help but take it as a challenge.

He stormed forwards, and this time, Ryan didn't try to stop him. That forced him to hesitate slightly, but then he was pushing those thoughts out of his head.

"Why the fuck are you such a dick?" Michael grit out, allowing himself to take a few more steps towards Gavin. The other boy's smirk didn't waver once, and Michael resisted all of the urges that were welling up inside of him.

"I'm only stating the facts," Gavin replied with a shrug, and for a moment he almost looked hesitant. But then it was gone, just as quickly as it had come. Michael was confused, but he was far too caught up in the moment to consider it.

"You're being an ass."

For the first time since their encounter, frustration washed over Gavin's face, and Michael didn't even try to resist the urge to smirk. "Am I bothering you, Gavin?" He asked innocently, tilting his head the slightest bit so that he could look him in the eyes.

Something that sounded shockingly like a growl escaped Gavin's lips, and Michael felt himself tense. "It's not my fault that you're such a goddamn shit fighter," he snapped, and Michael felt anger rushing up inside of him.

"I'm not a shit fighter," Michael retorted, forcing a laugh.

Gavin scoffed, and Michael felt himself cringe against his will. As much as he tried to tell himself to not take Gavin seriously, it was always a difficult thing to do. "You don't fit in here," he said, and the words hit Michael like a brick. "Your fighting is nothing like everyone else in your cabin. I wouldn't be surprised if you weren't even a son of Ares."

Then anger was replacing the pain and Michael was taking a step backwards so that he could look at the the other boy clearly. He huffed and the cocky look was back on Gavin's face almost immediately. It was obvious that he thought he had 'won' whatever was happening.

Michael didn't think he had ever been so angry.

And that's why he was rushing forwards not more than a second later, fist raised and ready to strike. He aimed directly for Gavin's jaw, but his movements were heavy and slow, and before he was able to make contact, Gavin was grabbing his wrist.

Amusement was plastered across the boy's face, which only served to make Michael angrier. "Did you really think you were going to be able to hit me when you were moving as slow as you were?" Gavin laughed, his eyes scanning the scowl on Michael's face. "You're even more stupid than I thought."

That was all it took for Michael to snap, and he was aiming directly for Gavin's gut with his left hand, as his right was still being held. He didn't expect it to work, and it would obviously be less powerful due to it being his non-dominant hand. But Michael didn't care.

Which is why he was surprised when the maneuver actually worked, and Gavin grunted, releasing his grasp on Michael before taking several steps back. He clutched at his stomach, glaring at Michael as he gasped for breath.

When Gavin had finally recovered, he spoke. "Well aren't you a cheeky bitch?"

"Maybe, but it's better than being a fucking fool. You let your guard down, Gavin. Honestly, I'm disappointed in you."

Gavin's eyes looked as if a fire might have been lit in them, and his anger was obvious when he turned to leave, muttering curse words under his breath.

If Michael had to explain how he was feeling in that moment, the only word he would have been able to come up with was powerful.


End file.
